Safety device for railway frogs and guard-rails.



E. B. MALCOLM.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY FROGS AND GUARD RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY15,1913.

1,104,305. Patented July 21, 191

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EDWARD BOSWELL MALCOLM, 0F CAMPBELLTON, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY FROGS AND GUARD-RAILS.

Application filed July 15, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Serial No. 779,181.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD BoswELL MALCOLM, asubject of the King offGreat Britain, and resident of the town of"Campbellton, in the county of Restigouche, Province of New Brunswick,Dominion of Canada, have invented certain newand useful Improvements inSafety Devices for Railway Frogs and Guard-Rails; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same.

The invention relates to improvements in safety devices for railwayfrogs and guard rails, as described in the present specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the novel construction andarrangement in relation to frogs and guard rails in railways whereby thepermanently open spaces between ra-il members are protected by a selfadjusting plate.

The objects of the invention are to avoid the derailment of railwayvehicles in passing over frogs and approaches to bridges and otherplaces, to devise a simple and inexpensive means of maintaining a freespace for the flanges of the railway vehicles, and generallv to insuresafety for life and property in an eflicient manner.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the device applied to arigid frog. Fig. 2 is a. longitudinal sectional view of the device asgenerally applied to cover in the space between two rail members. Fig. 3is av plan View of the device applied to a spring frog. Fig. t is a planview of the device applied to a guard rail.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the frog having the outer rail members 2and 3 and the inner rail members 4 and 5 terminating in the point 6.

7 is a plate of spring material shown in Fig. 1 as forked at one end,said forked ends 8 and 9 extending between the said outer and innerrails, the other end of the plate filling in the space between the outerrails beyond the point 6. The spring plate 7 at the forked ends 8 and 9is bent downwardly and terminates in the curled extremities 10 and theopposite end is bent downwardly in an easier curve and terminates in acurled extremity 11. Intermediate of the length of said plate 7 themetal 1s bent inwardly to form the U-shaped recess 12 there acrossadjacent to the beginning of the bend leading to the extremity 11. Aboutcentral in said plate and adjacent to the point 6, 13 is a bolt hole.Toward the curled extremities 11, 1 1 are lateral lugs extending underthe heads of the outer rails 2 and 3. It will now be seen that the platefills in the spaces between the rails forming the frog as shown in Fig.1, and is substantially even with the upper surfaces of the rail headsand at the forked ends maintained in that. position by the lugs 14. 15is a bolt inserted through the webs of the outer rails 2 and 3 oppositethe U-shaped recess 12 and engaging the said plate 7 in the bed of thesaid recess, consequently holding said plate 7 at that end fromspringing up above the rail heads.

16 is a bolt having its head suitably countersunk in the plate 7 at thebolt hole 13 and extending downwardly through an anchor plate 17 belowthe frog and at. its lower extending end held to said anchor plate bythe nut 18, said nut being locked home by the cotter pin 19 extendingthrough the center shank of the bolt.

20 is a spring encircling the bolt 16 between the under side of theplate 7 and the anchor plate 17 and adapted to support said plate 7 inits upper position and to return said plate 7 to its upper positionafter being depressed by the flange of a passing vehicle.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the only difference in the construction is the shape ofthe spring plate, and perhaps a slight difference in the position of thebolt hole and bolt, otherwise the invention is precisely the same,though it must be understood any shape of plate may be used according tothe construction of the double rails and further changes may be made inthe construction in regard to holding the said plate to its position orreturning it to its upper position, so long as the construction is keptwithin the scope of the claims for novelty following.

What I claim is 1. In a safety device for frogs or guard rails, a plateof spring material suitably shaped and fitted between two railway rails,said plate having downwardly curved ends terminating in curledeXtremitles engaging the bases of the rails, a bolt hole there throughintermediate of the length thereof and a U-shaped recess extendingthereinto from the top and completely across between said bolt hole andone end, and a lateral lug at the other end, a bolt extending throughsaid bolt hole and engaging said plate, an anchor plate engaging theother end of said bolt, a spring encircling said bolt between saidanchor plate and said spring plate, and a bolt engaging the Webs of therails and inserted through said U-shaped recess and engaging said springplate in the bed of said recess.

2. In a safety device for frogs or guard rails, a plate of springmaterial covering the space between a plurality of rail heads andsubstantially flush with the tops of said rail heads, said plate havinga bolt hole intermediate of the length thereof, lateral lugs at one endextending under the rail heads, downward bends toward the Copies of thispatent may be obtained to other end forming a U-shaped recess anddownwardly curved ends terminating in curled extremities and engagingthe bases of the rails, a bolt inserted through the webs of the railsand enga ng said spring plate in the bed of said U-shaped recess, a boltinserted through said bolt hole having its head countersunk in saidplate, anchor plate engaging the lower end of said bolt and held theretoby a suitable locked nut, and a spring inserted in said bolt between theanchor plate and the spring plate and maintaining said spring plate inits upper position flush with the top surfaces of the rails.

Signed at the town of Cainpbeilton this twenty-third day of May, A' D.1913.

EDWARD BOSWELL MALCOLM- lVitnesses:

MARION C. DICKSON, A. E. MCKENZIE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

